Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Ezio Auditore da Firenze ( ) is a character in the video game series Assassin's Creed. He serves as the protagonist of the series' games set during the Italian Renaissance. His life and career as an assassin are chronicled in Assassin's Creed II, II: Discovery, Brotherhood, and Revelations, as well as the animated short film Embers. Furthermore, he appears as a guest character in the fighting game Soulcalibur V. Born into Italian nobility, Ezio follows his family heritage as an assassin, after most of his immediate kin is killed during the Pazzi conspiracy. His quest to track down those responsible for killing his family eventually sets him up against the villainous Templar Order, led by the House of Borgia. Spending years to fight against Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia and their henchmen, he eventually reestablishes the Order of Assassins as the dominant force in Italy. His further adventures lead him to Spain and the Ottoman Empire, where he is also essential in overcoming Templar threats and restoring the Assassins. After his retirement from the Order, he lives a peaceful life in rural Tuscany before dying from a heart attack. The character has received significant critical acclaim. While most of it focuses on his portrayal and growth throughout the series, as well as the unique chronicling of his entire life, he has also been noted as one of the most attractive video game characters of all time. Due to his reception and the fact that he is the only character in the series who is the protagonist of multiple major installments of the franchise, he is usually considered the face of the franchise and its most popular character. Development When creating the character, the developers were keen on establishing similarities between the series' previous protagonist Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in style and general appearance, while at the same time differentiating Ezio from the former characterwise. His name, meaning eagle, was chosen to keep up the tradition of Altaïr, whose named also meant eagle. While Altaïr was described as a warrior monk bred for combat and the life of an assassin, Ezio's backstory was consciously designed in sharp contrast to make playing him feel like an "empowering experience". Unlike Altaïr, Ezio is not born into the order and discovers his heritage only in his teens, while his main goal for most of the first game is to seek revenge on those who murdered his family. Even though this was made to be his main motivation for the early part of the game, his personal growth was to enable him to seek justice as the game progressed. He does not start out as a master assassin but has to hone his craft throughout, making him more relatable to players. Ezio learns new moves and abilities by being taught by friends and allies, unlike a progression tree, to make the players immersion into the character feel more natural. In general, Ezio was designed to be a Renaissance man, who was to be open minded and seek truth, but also fun-loving. Fictional character biography ''Assassin's Creed II'' and II: Discovery Ezio is an ancestor of Desmond Miles, the protagonist of most of the early series' backstory, who experiences Ezio's life through the Animus, a device unlocking hidden memories inside his DNA. As it is shown in the beginning of Assassin's Creed II, Ezio was born into the nobility in the Italian city of Florence in 1459. Tutored by the banker Giovanni Tornabuoni until the age of 17, Ezio led an affluent, care-free lifestyle until his father Giovanni discovered a plot to assassinate the leader of Florence.Assassin's Creed II, Chapter 1 Giovanni accused Francesco de' Pazzi as a conspirator, but when he presented the evidence to the gonfaloniere of Florence, Uberto Alberti, the latter is revealed to also be conspirator and orders for the Auditore family's arrest, blaming them for the plot. Out running errands for his father, Ezio is not home when his father and two brothers are arrested and later publicly hanged. Ezio, following his father's final advice, finds his Assassin tools and flees the city with his mother and sister to his uncle Mario's estate in Monteriggioni.Assassin's Creed II, Chapters 2 and 3 Mario assists Ezio in discovering the people behind the conspiracy and trains him. While exacting revenge on the Pazzi family, Ezio discovers that more people from outside Florence are involved.Assassin's Creed II, Chapter 4 The search for those responsible leads Ezio from Florence to San Gimignano, Forlì, Venice, and eventually Rome. As he identifies and assassinates more and more political figures, Ezio also gains several allies, including Niccolò Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza, and Leonardo da Vinci. These allies partly train Ezio into an Assassin and guide him on his quest. Eventually, the conspiracy leads to the mastermind behind the plot: Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Italian Templars. He sought to find the Apple — a powerful ancient artifact known as a Piece of Eden —which lay in Florence. Ezio finds Borgia in possession of the Apple and learns that Borgia believes himself to be "the Prophet", who will lead the Templars to a fabled "Vault". Ezio is able to confront Borgia with the help of his allies and recover the Apple, but Borgia flees before he can be killed. Ezio's allies reveal they are all Assassins and believe Ezio to be the true Prophet, allowing him to join their ranks.Assassin's Creed II, Chapter 11 During the events of Assassin's Creed II: Discovery, which plays after Borgia's escape during Assassin's Creed II, Ezio travels to Spain in 1490 to free his fellow Assassins, who have been imprisoned under the guise of the Spanish Inquisition. In the process, he discovers that the Templars are planning to sail west to discover the New World. Ezio has to save Christopher Columbus and kill Tomás de Torquemada to end the Templar threat. Ezio must also assassinate some other important targets such as Gasper Martinez, Pedro Llorente, and Juan de Marillo. Along the way, Ezio saves many imprisoned Assassins who help him, including Luis de Santángel and Raphael Sanchez. In the end, Granada City is taken under siege by Templars, and Ezio has to save the Moorish King Muhammad XII. Years later, in 1492, Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI and resides in Vatican City. By 1499, Ezio and his allies have completed the Codex, which is revealed to be a world map, and discover that "the Vault" lies in Rome and has to be opened with the Apple and the Papal cross, another Piece of Eden. While his allies distract the city's guards, Ezio infiltrates the Vatican using the Apple and attempts to assassinate Alexander. The Pope uses the Staff to incapacitate Ezio, escaping with both the Staff and the Apple. Ezio, now injured, finds Alexander in time to stop him and fights him in hand-to-hand combat, easily defeating the older man. He decides to let the Pope live, realizing that killing him will not bring back his family. Now in possession of both the Staff and the Apple, Ezio opens the Vault, where a holographic figure approaches him. Identifying herself as Minerva, she confirms that he is the Prophet. Belonging to an extinct precursor race that created humanity, she warns Desmond - who is reliving Ezio's memories - from a cataclysmic solar flare only he can prevent. As Minerva's projection fades, Ezio is left confused as he tries to ask who Desmond is.Assassin's Creed II, Chapter 15 ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' At the start of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Montereggioni is besieged by the Papal Armies led by Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander and co-leader of the Templar Order. During the siege, the Apple is lost, Monteriggioni is destroyed, Caterina Sforza is kidnapped, and Ezio's uncle Mario is killed. Escaping the city with his mother and sister, an injured Ezio sets off for Rome to destroy the Borgia once and for all; however, he collapses shortly thereafter.Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Chapter 1'' Days later, Ezio awakens in Rome and receives a new set of gear from Niccolò Machiavelli, who also saved him days earlier. After his wounds heal, Ezio and Machiavelli set their plan into motion – to liberate Rome and remove the Borgias from power permanently, as well as retrieve the Apple of Eden. Slowly, over the next three and a half years, Ezio and his allies win a series of victories over the Borgias, reclaiming and restoring the city by destroying the Borgia's allies and ressources. Ezio restores the ranks of the Assassins and in time succeeds Machiavelli as the Mentor, the leader of the order.Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Chapter 7'' By 1503, Ezio has assassinated the clan's banker, Juan Borgia, and their French general ally, the Baron de Valois, and incapacitated Lucrezia Borgia, leaving their power base in disarray. Cesare, in a fit of rage, kills his father and begins losing control over the city. After retrieving the Apple, Ezio uses its power to destroy what is left of Cesare's army and allies. By the end of 1503, Borgia control over the city is completely broken and Cesare is arrested by the new Pope, Julius II, escpaing some time later. Ezio rejects the Apple of Eden and hides it below the Colosseum in the Temple of Juno. In 1507, Ezio travels to Spain and catches up with Cesare at the siege of Viana Castle. Ultimately defeated by Ezio, an indignant Cesare Borgia is thrown off the castle walls to his death.Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Chapter 15'' ''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' After the events of Brotherhood, Ezio discovers a letter left behind by his father that talks about a hidden library full of vast knowledge underneath Masyaf Castle, left there by the legendary Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, setting the events of Assassin's Creed: Revelations into motion. Arriving at Masyaf in early 1511, Ezio is ambushed by Templars who occupy the fortress, also searching for Altaïr's library. After escaping capture and assassinating the Templar captain, Ezio recovers the journal of Niccolò Polo, which tells of five seals hidden in Constantinople that will open the door to Altaïr's library.Assassin's Creed Revelations, Chapter 1'' Arriving in Constantinople, Ezio begins his search for the seals, while helping the local Assassin's Guild, led by Yusuf Tazim, overthrow Byzantine Templar control. Over time, Ezio succeeds in eradicating Templar influence and resubjugating the city to the rule of the family of Prince Suleiman. Ezio recovers four of the five keys with the help of historian and book collector Sofia Sartor. He then travels to an underground city in Cappadocia, the Templar base of operations. After assassinating the Templar leader Manuel Palaiologos and recovering the final key, it is revealed that Prince Suleiman's uncle Prince Ahmet has been secretly leading the Byzantine Templars and wishes to open Altaïr's library for himself. After Ezio refuses to hand over the keys, Ahmet threatens to harm Sofia and sails off, leaving Ezio in Cappadocia. Upon returning to Constantinople, Ezio finds that Sofia has been kidnapped by Ahmet and Yusuf has been murdered to force Ezio to reveal the key's whereabouts. Leading an all-out attack with the Constantinople Assassins, Ezio ultimately saves Sofia. He then engages in a chase with Ahmet and eventually recovers the keys from the latter. A returning sultan Selim I kills Ahmet and thanks Ezio for saving his son and country, but at the same time orders him to leave the Ottoman Empire and never return. Ezio and Sofia make their way back to Masyaf and open the library, where Ezio finds Altaïr's corpse. The entire purpose of the library was to convey another message to Ezio's descendant, Desmond Miles, through another Apple of Eden. An aged Ezio decides that he has seen enough violence and mystery for one life, and leaves the Apple of Eden behind.Assassin's Creed Revelations, Chapter 15'' ''Assassin's Creed: Embers'' In the animated short Assassin's Creed: Embers, the last years of Ezio's life are chronicled. After his retirement from the Order of Assassins, he has settled down in a Tuscan villa near Monteriggioni with Sofia, and had two children, Flavia and Marcello. In 1524, a mysterious Chinese woman appears at his door requesting his help. The woman, Shao Jun, is a member of the vanquished Chinese Assassin Order and sought Ezio's advice in how to help her people and rebuild their order. After helping Shao fight off soldiers sent by the Chinese Emperor Jiajing and training her, Ezio sees Shao on her way back to China, armed with the wisdom she came seeking him for. Shortly thereafter, while on a trip to the market square in Florence, Ezio dies from a heart attack at the age of 65.Assassin's Creed: Embers Other appearances ''Assassin's Creed'' series Ezio also appears as a supporting character in the short film Assassin's Creed: Lineage, where he is portrayed by Devon Bostick. While he himself does no longer appear in future installments, he is referenced by Achilles Davenport as "having opened Pandora's box" in regards to the First Civilization in Assassin's Creed III.Assassin's Creed III, Chapter 3 Furthermore, he is considered unsuitable for video game installments by the fictional virtual reality department of Abstergo Industries in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag In Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, Shao Jun applies his teaching in her quest to restore her order and considers him her mentor.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' His outfit can also be unlocked in all subsequent releases of the series. In 2018, Ezio became a playable character in the non-canonical free to play role-playing mobile game Assassin's Creed: Rebellion. Like II: Discovery, the game is set during the Spanish Inquisition and features multiple characters from different installments of the series, as they build a brotherhood to overthrow the Spanish Templar Order. Furthermore, he is a playable character in the 2018 board game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice by Triton Noir. ''Soulcalibur V'' Ezio also appears as a guest character in the 2012 fighting game Soulcalibur V. In the non-canonical storyline of the game, Ezio discovers a strange artifact in 1506, while on his way to Navarre to fight Cesare Borgia. On his voyage by sea, he dispatches a group of Templars plotting to overthrow Catherine of Aragon with said artifact. After touching what turns out to be a piece of the cursed blade Soul Edge, Ezio is transported 100 years into the future, where he fights against the characters of the series in an effort to collect all pieces of Soul Edge and its counterpart, Soul Calibur. Once he has collected all shards of the legendary swords, he is transported back to his own time and next seen back on his ship to Navarre.Soul Calibur V Other Ezio's robes are unlockable in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Final Fantasy XIII-2 as well as in LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3 and PowerUp Heroes for Kinect on the Xbox 360. His outfit, under the name the "Dashin' Hashashin", was presented as promotional headgear to Team Fortress 2 players who had pre-ordered Assassin's Creed: Revelations, along with a special knife modeled after his hidden blade (called "The Sharp Dresser") for the Spy class in the game. In a time-limited special event in Monster Hunter World, players were able to unlock Ezio's robes as a special armor. As of 2016, Ezio appears as a guest character in the 2014 free to play role-playing mobile game Soul Hunters, through a collaboration between developer Lilith Games and Ubisoft. Ezio later appeared as a boss in another one of Ubisoft's titles, For Honor. In the fighting game, players are encouraged to duel with and kill Ezio in a time-limited special event, active from December 2018 to January 2019. Reception and legacy The character was critically acclaimed by the media and general public alike, with his depiction and transformation, as well as the chronicling of his entire life drawing significant praise. To this date, he is the only character in the series to receive several main games. Ezio is widely regarded as the series' best character and the face of the franchise, finishing first in every ranking of the series' characters. Initial reception for Ezio as a character was positive. Gamesradar characterized him as an "ass-kicking, morally ambiguous superhero" and noted that he had a livelier and more charming personality then his predecessor Altaïr, with his personal growth being a central aspect of the narrative. Will Tutle of GameSpy also noted Ezio's growth and contrast to Altaïr as his strongest features, stating that while he was an unlikeable womanizer at first, he was later hoping he would "get his revenge and uncover the truth". In contrast, Gamespot's Kevin VanOrd called Ezio "terrific" and "instantly likeable", and also found him to be a much more realized character then Altair. Like VanOrd, John Davison of GamePro named Ezio the epicenter of the game's narrative and drew a comparison between him and Nathan Drake. Like Drake, the "charming, witty, and comically self-deprecating" Ezio was "designed to to draw the player into the narrative." In his review of Revelations, VanOrd lauded the developers for reflecting Ezio's age and weariness throughout the game, as well as highlighting his role as a mentor. Matt Miller of GameInformer stated that by Revelations, Ezio has grown from a boy seeking revenge to a man seeking wisdom, as well as a "venerable mentor", which was made a central aspect of his character. Ezio Auditore received an award from GameSpot for the "Best New Character" in 2009. GameZone had him nominated for "Gaming God of 2009". He was also nominated at the Spike Video Game Awards 2010 for "Best Character". The 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition lists Ezio as the 35th most popular video game character. The praise for his portrayal has also placed him high in multiple all-decade or all-time rankings. Ezio was voted as the third top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer s readers. In 2012, GamesRadar+ ranked him as the eighth "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, citing the fact that his entire life is portrayed. They also placed him second on the list of most badass game characters of the generation, saying "Ezio has become synonymous with the image of the video game assassin." GamesRadar placed him at number 4 in a list of the 50 best game characters of the generation. Complex listed Ezio among the "most badass" video game characters of all time in 2013, ranking him at 37th place. Complex ranked him as having the tenth best fighting game cameo for his guest appearance in Soulcalibur V in 2012. He also featured on UGO Networks's list of most memorable Italians in video games at 15th place. The characters' physical attractiveness and clothing style have also been noted. At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, he won the award for "Best Dressed Assassin". GamesRadar+ named Ezio "Mister 2009" in their article on the sexiest new characters of the decade of 2000. Furthermore, PlayStation Official Magazine ranked Ezio fifth on their list of "finest facial hair gaming has to offer". Mashable ranked him 9th in a list of "the 10 most datable men in video games". Notes References Bibliography * * External links *Ezio Auditore on IMDb Category:Assassin's Creed characters Category:Male video game characters Category:Soulcalibur series guest characters Category:Video game mascots Category:Video game protagonists Category:Fictional criminals Category:Fictional explorers Category:Fictional hapkido practitioners Category:Fictional Italian people Category:Fictional knife-fighters Category:Fictional martial arts trainers Category:Fictional socialites Category:Fictional swordsmen Category:Fictional traceurs Category:Fictional assassins Category:Fictional vigilantes Category:Fictional deceased Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2009